Music & falling....story of my life.

When the sun of your life has gone down
And the clouds in the west turn to gold
Endless death will to you then have come
If the light has gone out in your soul

Oh just think how in death you would feel
With the light growing dim in your soul
Oh how long it will be oh how still
If the light has gone out in your soul

When you come to the end of the way
And life's story for you has been told
Oh how sad all to you will appear
If the light has gone out in your soul

When the chilly winds of death around you steal
And the sweat upon your brow is damp and cold
What a dread in your life you would feel
If the light has gone out in your soul

- "The Sun of the Soul," A.P. Carter

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Over the weekend: adventure!

First there was Friday's black mood. Followed by shifting plans and downtime and pranayama that helped me regain my composure. Followed by lost wallets and (friendly) bullying of customer service people and found wallets and rushingrushingrushing and nipple-based discussions and then...

I got a taste of the Carter Family, a la Secret Country, featuring a brilliant lineup of players including Robbie Fulks, Joy Lynn White, Danny Barnes, Casey Driessen, Chris Ligon, Kelly Hogan, Scott Ligon, and Steve Dawson. (I'd link them all, but I'm feeling lazy. Y'all can google as well as I can.)

There is something about really good music, played beautifully by really talented musicians, that is just....beyond words. Over the weekend, I witnessed some of the best banjo and fiddle playing I've ever heard of, let alone witnessed. I came across a list of tunes I liked so well I feel obligated to add them to my own retertoire. In particular, the tune whose lyrics are quoted above...it was performed by Robbie, Casey, Danny, and Scott Ligon, in this tripped out semi-psychedelic way that was moody and intense and jaw-droppingly gorgeous and fucking brilliant. Not what I expected at a "country" show - and just what I needed to hear.

Not even months of drama and calamity and a weekend of plans gone awry could stand up to the beauty of that performance. I want a recoridng of it so badly I can taste it. I am almost tempted to subscribe to XM just to get a copy. I'm hopeful I can track one down elsewhere, sans subscription, though.

In particular, I was really impressed with Casey Driessen's fiddling. He does this thing with his bow that's percussive and so cool - it almost sounds like he's being accompanied on bodhran. And then, Danny Barnes on the banjo: seriously, the dude is barely moving, yet the sounds coming out of his instrument were just....intricate and melodic and amazing.

Of course, Joy Lynn White's performances were tasty - she has a gorgeous voice and this country-rock vibe that I dig a whole lot, and her style was a great vehicle for the tunes she picked. And it was nice to see my friend Melissa, who was in from the ATL for the occasion, get up on a stage and sing - it's been years since I got to hear her perform, and I miss that. I hope she does it more often.

On the whole, the weekend balanced out to be pretty decent. And definitely educational.


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This morning, what with the ice storms and all, I was petrified as I creeped down my front stairs (site of the broken tailbone of nearly four years back!). I made it down the stairs at an achingly slow speed. I breathed a sigh of relief, took two steps onto the sidewalk, slipped and landed sprawled on my face all over the sidewalk.

Seriously, that is not a pitch for a skit or a scene from a Sandra Bullock movie. It happened to me this morning!

I had to go back in and change my clothes, as they were covered in nasty icy slush. I cursed a lot.


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The Rock 'n Roll Holiday Playlist of Awesomeness!

"Merry Christmas Everybody" - Slade
"Oi to the World" - No Doubt
"Maybe This Christmas" - Ron Sexsmith
"Wonderful Christmastime" - Paul McCartney
"Not This Year" - AJ & Aly
"Don't Feel Like Christmas" - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"Christmas Time" - The Darkness
"Christmas Love" - Billy Idol
"Spotlight on Christmas" - Rufus Wainwright
"Christmas is All Around" - Love Actualy sdtrk
"Opera of the Bells" - Destiny's Child
"Peace on Earth/LDB" - Bing Crosby & David Bowie
"Do They Know It's Christmas" - Live Aid